The Secret Life of a Black-Haired Boy
by The Rebellious Observer
Summary: Something's happening to Jamie. Can he be helped?
1. And So It Begins

Author's Note: Hello everybody

Author's Note: Hello everybody. This is my first In A Heartbeat fanfic, so if you hate it, then take into consideration that I am but a lowly apprentice to the master-writers. In other words, leave me alone, I'm a beginner. Thank you for your patience in reading the ranting and raving of a mentally unstable sixteen-year old (that was a joke, just so you more serious individuals failed to understand my dry witticisms…hehehe). *…* represent italics, and '…' represent thoughts. Enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form set any claims of ownership to In A Heartbeat. It belongs to Disney, and maybe some other people (though I have seriously contemplated stealing Christopher…again, another joke =o). If Disney feels that I am impinging on their copyright, then I'll simply remove my story (after proof of ownership of course…we wouldn't want any overzealous flame-spewers making me take my story off, now would we?) Oh, yeah, I'm not making any money off this either, so nobody sue. The few quarters and dimes I have hoarded are neither worth the time nor the effort. On with the story!

The Secret Life of a Black-Haired Boy

Jamie Waite hurried towards the Kingsport EMS Station at a fast walk, his long legs eating up the distance at an unnaturally quick pace. His smooth strides soon took him to the entrance, and then into the presence of his three very disgruntled teammates. "Jamie, you're late *again.* This is the third time this week, and it's only Wednesday!" scolded Val Lanier. "Yeah, man, Alex is gonna kill you!" chipped in Tyler, Mr. Golden Boy himself. 'Damn it. It's not my fault my father chose to come visit his wayward son this week' Thought Jamie as he ran his long fingers through his spiky black hair. "Uh…sorry guys. This week has been kind of hectic, all right? Besides, from the way you guys are loafing around here, it doesn't look like we got a call. I didn't miss anything, so chill," he said. "Whatever," said Val, rolling her eyes and sauntering off to another side of the room. "Jamie, you know that I'll have to officially reprimand you sooner or later for tardiness…" started Hank, the group's leader. "Yeah, I know, I know," sighed Jamie as he opened his locker and brought out his EMS uniform. "I just hope it's later rather than sooner," he said, walking out the door to go and change in the Men's' bathroom. 

-----------------------Several Hours Later, Off Call----------------------

"I just wish I knew what was going on with him lately!" exclaimed Katie Roth to Val. They were talking about Jamie, of course. "He's just been acting so weird lately. I wish I knew what was going on," she continued. "Well, if you can't find out, Katie, no one can," said Val. "I guess," Katie mumbled uncharacteristically. 

----------------------------------Meanwhile--------------------------------

"Just where in the hell have you been?" sneered Simon Joseph Waite as Jamie returned from his shift at the EMS station. "I was volunteering at that station I told you about," answered Jamie, the usually rebellious teen subdued in fear of the drunken creature before him. "Liar!" spat his father angrily. "You were probably out getting high, hanging out with all of those punk friends of yours. You're no good, you know that? No good at all. No damn respect. That's the problem with you kids today; ya got no damn respect for your elders! You go out partying and drinking, and then you lie to us. You think I'm stupid? Well, do ya?! Do ya?!" cried the older Waite, his words slurred in his drunken state. "I'm going to teach you some freaking respect, damn you!" he cried, lunging for Jamie. "No, please, no," whimpered Jamie as his father approached, a beer bottle clutched tightly in his hand as he held it above his head, ready to strike. 

##Author's Note## Sorry Jamie is so mistreated in this chapter. Things will get better for him sooner, I promise. I know there are already a lot of fics out there where Jamie gets abused…but this one will shortly take an unexpected twist. Tune in later to find out what they are. 


	2. Star-Crossed Lovers

#Author's Note# Thank you to all the people who've reviewed me so far

#Author's Note# Thank you to all the people who've reviewed me so far. I will follow your advice and correct the spelling of Caitie's name the next time she is mentioned ("well, isn't she mentioned in this chapter?" you might wonder. Read on and find out evil laughter). I've tried to make the story longer in this chapter. The other was merely the beginning. Thanks.

Disclaimer: Do you really think I own In A Heartbeat? Nope, I don't either. Drifting off to la-la land Though I wouldn't mind owning Chris…jerked back to the harsh reality that I don't own Jamie or his actor counter-part But, anyway, I don't own the show, just the words. I'm not making any money so please don't sue. 

Jamie slowly dragged himself up the stairs of his three-story home towards his room, his haven. Only his labored breathing penetrated the absolute silence, and his occasional groan of displeasure as his beaten body protested its movement. "Almost there…almost," he breathed as he made his way to his sanctuary, his handsome face a mask of misery. As he reached the second-floor area before his door, he fairly collapsed across the threshold. He somehow managed to get inside, lock the door, and fall into bed, but these tasks only served to sap him of his last remaining energy. He quickly fell into a deep, unsettled sleep. Visions of crimson splatters and raging beasts with his father's face plagued him. 

-------------------------Several Hours Later--------------------------

Jamie awoke with a start. He'd been awoken by his nightmares, and was bathed in a light sheen of sweat. He slowly craned his head towards his alarm clock. The big red numbers read 12:35. 'Great' thought Jamie. 'It'll take me at least an hour to fall back asleep now.' He knew this from many nights of experience. This wasn't the first time his father had beaten him up, after all. 'Okay, just lay still, man. Concentrate on stillness…concentrate' he coached himself. 'Think about good things…don't think about the pain.' Memories of himself at his tenth birthday party flashed across his mind. 'Things were so good then' he thought. 'Mom was alive…Dad wasn't abusive…things were so perfect then, and I hadn't even known it' his internal ramblings continued. 'But then it went downhill. Six months later, Mom was hit and killed by a drunk driver…Dad started beating Peter and I…things became what they are now. Miserable. Completely, totally, utterly hopeless. At least Peter got to go away to college the next year' he thought bitterly. He recalled how the beatings on his got worse then. It was like his father blamed him for the departure of Mrs. Waite and Peter. 'Yeah, like beating me to a pulp solves anything' Jamie mentally scoffed. Mr. Waite's latest visit "home" to his mansion in Kingsport was unexpected, to say the least. He'd been away for months, and Jamie had been on the verge of living something resembling a normal life. 'Damn. Why couldn't he be off making more freaking money at his damn multi-million corporation in New York?' he thought angrily. Jamie knew that none of his friends knew that he was rich. He'd made sure of that. He never talked about his family much, never hinted at his so-called "prestige." He'd even made sure that his confidential EMS records only held his mother's name. No one made the connection between Jamie Waite and the millionaire Simon Waite from New York. Hell, no one even suspected that he was physically abused. He was very good at hiding the signs. He'd had six years of practice, after all. 'No, come on man, think of something else' he mentally chastised himself. Memories of times at the EMS station flashed across his mind's eye, breezing by like so many images in a motion picture movie. His thoughts led him to the brightest thing in his life…*her.* In his memory, her lovely face smiled at him in that remarkable way she that had, he felt remarkably better. Her image stayed with him, and he smiled, though it was a bit painful because of his bruised right side of his face. Already a big purple bruise had formed, marring an area a bit to the side of his full lips. He hardly noticed. He was thinking of **her.** All other things were secondary, even his own comfort. She was the reason he woke up in the morning; she was the reason he went to bed at night. He adored her, but he would never tell her his feelings. If she rejected him, he was afraid that his last real tie to the world would be severed. She was the physical embodiment of goodness to him. She was hope; she was love; she was the promise of better things to come. Without her in his life, he knew he would have committed suicide or run away long ago. He was sure that no one could tell the kind of thoughts that ran through his head all the time just by looking at the way he acted, the things he said. After all, he'd been tightly controlling his emotions for six years now. Acting like a rebel all those years was a very nice way to push away the majority of the crowd, and therefore he had only had to act for a more limited audience. That meant that there was less of a chance of his secret being discovered. Oh, yes, Jamie had things all planned out. No one would ever know about his home life situation. It had worked so far, hadn't it? Jamie finally drifted off to sleep. "Val…" he murmured as he drifted towards unconsciousness. 

---------------------------------Meanwhile---------------------------------

Val Lanier awoke violently. She sat up quickly in her bed, her medium-length shiny gold locks plastered to her face and neck in damp strands. "Oh, God," she murmured quietly to herself as she absentmindedly brushed her fingers through her mane, removing the strands that were plastered to her. She noticed that her hands were shaking as she did so. "Oh, God," she repeated, cradling her head in her hands. "Val?" questioned the sleepy, inquisitive voice of her younger sister Brooke. "Val? Are you all right?" asked the twelve-year-old. "It's," There was a slight pause as she checked the clock. "twelve-thirty-five in the morning." There was no answer. "Val?" repeated her sister. "Ev-everything's f-fine Brook. Go back to bed," was Val's shaky, slightly muffled response. "I just had a bad dream, that's all," she continued, lifting her face from her hands and lying back down. "Okay…" said Brook. 'Good God' thought Val. 'That was the scariest nightmare I've ever had.' She tried to piece together the fragments of the dream that she remembered. She remembered first seeing Jamie. He was in a large, elaborately furnished room, in front of a large set of stairs, near what appeared to be the front door. He looked like he was just returning from his EMS shift. He had bags under his eyes, and the room appeared to be illuminated softly by the surrounding lights, so it was probably nighttime. He was talking to a man that slightly resembled him, but Val remembered that the man's features were squarer, older, less sculpted, and definitely less handsome that Jamie's. She recalled seeing the man attack Jamie with a half-empty beer-bottle. She shuddered as she recalled how the man had beaten Jamie in a murderous, drunken rage. She'd seen her friend go down, saw how he was pummeled with the glass bottle, kicked, and punched. And she was frozen there, in her dream. For some reason, she could not intervene. She'd ordered her body to *go, go now, help Jamie,* but it has not obeyed. She could merely observe in silent horror. The event she most clearly recalled in the horrible scene was when the man had punched Jamie in the face, near his mouth, and he'd been knocked out cold. The man had merely sneered down at Jamie's unconscious form and walked away. Jamie had shortly come to, and painstakingly made his way up the stairs, and out of Val's line of sight. "Oh, God, oh, Jamie, Jamie," whispered Val in an agonized voice, thick with emotions. Tears streamed down her face. "It was only a nightmare…right?" she continued. She was answered only by the silence of the dark room. 

#Yet another author's note# Hehehe! So, did you spot the two surprises I planted in here? Good, I knew you would. If you found more, good for you, but it was an unintentional addition on my part.


	3. Trials, Tribulations, and (Finally) Reve...

#Author's note# I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story

#Author's note#I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story. Your comments were all very nice and encouraging. I'm glad that people are enjoying reading this, though I'm sure we all agree that I've treated Jamie horribly. Don't worry…things get better soon. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for more surprises! Oh, and for any character whose name I don't know (like Jamie's dad's), I make it up (*duh,* but I felt the need to say it anyway). 

Disclaimer: I don't own IaHB or its characters. I'm just borrowing them. I'm not making any money off of this, so please, please, *please* don't sue. There. I think I got my point across. =o)

[6:15, Thursday Morning, Jamie's Room]

Jamie's first coherent thought as he woke up was 'Ow!' The second, after a thorough examination of how many bruises his father had left on him this time, was 'Oh shit, how in the hell can I explain these away?' Jamie sighed. This was going to be a long day.

*********************** One Hour Later **********************

'Where is he, where is he?' wondered a very worried Val. She was standing outside Kingsport High School, tapping one foot repeatedly as she waited for Jamie. 'I know that there's probably nothing wrong…but I have to know for sure' she thought. Just then she spotted the boy she'd been waiting for approaching. Val let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in a sigh of relief. She hurried over to him with a blinding smile on her face as he drew near. The smile abruptly faded when she saw his face. She was staring in horror at the big, circular purple bruise on his face, a bit near his mouth. All she could manage was a gasp.

******************* Two Minutes Before *******************

He walked along slowly, trying to maintain an expression of nonchalance while also trying not to limp. 'Not an easy task when your knee feels like it's on fire and the rest of your body feels like it has just been put into a blender--twice' he thought to himself. 'Damn, why couldn't I think of a better lie than, "Oh, I had a little accident on my motorcycle last night,"? At least then I'd be able to ride, instead of going through this hell' he thought angrily, as he sidestepped a small group of loitering students and earned even more pain for his efforts. As he came into view of the entrance of the school, he noticed her…his Val. She turned her head and looked at him, as if she could read his thoughts. She wore her 1000-kilowatt smile as she approached him, and for a moment, Jamie thought he was dreaming. But as she drew closer and her view of him became clearer, her smile was quickly wiped off of her face. She stopped only a foot away from him, and stared with a nauseous-looking expression at the bruise on his face. She gasped. "Am I that hideous?" asked Jamie jokingly, though he couldn't help but feel a little hurt at her reaction. "No…" she said in a small little voice, right before she fainted.

***************** Five Minutes Later *****************

Val came to in an uncomfortable little cot in the corner of a very white, very sterile-looking room. 'It's the nurse's office' she realized. Someone, 'definitely a male' thought Val, was sitting on a side of it, holding her hand and, seemingly, pestering the nurse for answers. 'It's Jamie' realized Val, a blush creeping to her face. She felt so very at ease with him there, and she found that she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of him enfolding her hand in his big, warm, protective one. She blushed even more. Neither Jamie nor the nurse had noticed her awakening, so deep in their argument were they. 'They're arguing about what happened to me' Val realized. 'I must have passed out…' she concluded. 'Jamie, being the good EMT that he is, is freaking out because his friend passed out cold…right into his arms…and he can't figure out why, so now he's arguing with the nurse as to what kind of medical reason there is behind it' she thought, blushing even more (if that were even possible). "Ah-hmm," she said, gaining the attention of both Jamie and the poor nurse, who must have been hard-pressed to remember everything she'd ever been taught in training with Jamie there, picking her brain. "Val, you're alright!" exclaimed Jamie, relieved. He wanted to jump for joy, he was so happy. He had been so worried. He felt like hugging her, but he was afraid that he might never let go. So he merely squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Yes," she said, sitting up. "I feel much better now, so I'll just be going now. Thank you Mrs. Smith," she continued to the ancient nurse. She got off the cot and dragged Jamie out the door with her before the slow-moving Mrs. Smith had even had a chance to blink. 

*********************** 35.3 Seconds Later ********************

"Jamie, what happened to your face? Why is it bruised?" asked Val, trying to maintain the semblance of calm, even though thoughts and emotions were racing through her at dangerously high speeds. After they'd made their hasty departure from the nurse's office, Val had led Jamie by his big leather jacket towards the nearest abandoned room. Which just so happened to be a janitor's closet. A very small, very poorly illuminated little closet. Jamie hadn't known what to think until she'd asked him those questions. Now he knew that he'd have to act with all his heart if he wanted to keep her from finding out his secret. 'Oh shit' thought Jamie. 'Time to start the charade' "Relax, Val, I just got into a little accident with my motorcycle last night," he said. "Besides, I want to know why you went as white as a sheet once you saw me back there. Why did you faint? What's wrong?" he asked. Not only was this a good way to change the subject, but he also genuinely wanted to know. "Oh no, mister, you're not getting off that easily. I know you're lying about how you got that bruise," she said. "Now you can confess what's going on to me, or I can tell you what it is you're hiding. What's it going to be?" she continued. 'What in the hell in going on here?' Jamie wondered. 'She can't--she doesn't--she couldn't possibly have guessed…right?' he thought. "Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked. Playing stupid would usually work. "I'm talking about why you act like the world is a damn prison," she said, her voice getting louder. "I'm talking about why you got that injury on your face," she said, taking a step closer and trying to keep her voice down. She got on her toes and leaned a bit on his broad shoulders to keep her balance as she continued, now in little more than a whisper. "I'm talking about how you got…" she said, her breath tickling one of his earlobes. She abruptly backed up and flipped up his shirt, revealing the assorted scratches and purple and black bruises on his chest. "These," she said.

#Author's Note# Sorry this chapter is so short, but I want you guys to come back now, ya hear? (hehehe, I don't *really* talk like that). More is to come…expect the unexpected.


	4. Caught

Disclaimer: I don't own the show; I only own this story

#Author's Note#Sorry there is so much cursing in this story. Most of it is very coarse. Believe me, I don't cuss quite as much as I make the characters do in this story. But, seeing as how this story deals with "grown-up" situations and issues, I think that the characters should be allowed a little slack for having a less-than-squeaky-clean vocabulary, like they do on the show. Okay, jumps off her soapbox on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show; I only own this story. I'm not making any money off of it, either, so a lawsuit would not be appreciated. Thanks. =o)

Val mentally held her breath as she backed away from Jamie somewhat and quickly flipped up his shirt. She knew that it was stupid to believe that what she'd seen in her nightmare had really occurred, but the bruise on Jamie's face just where the man in her dream had punched him was just too much of a coincidence for Val to ignore. She knew that if there was nothing there, no bruises or scratches to mar his flat, muscular torso, that he would think that she was crazy. Hell, he'd probably think she was a freak after this incident whether she was correct about his abuse or not. She was correct. She saw his eyes widen in surprise, and the expression on his face clearly revealed what he was thinking. 'How did she know?' was his first thought. 'What do I do about it?' was the second. "How did you know?" he asked quietly. Val averted her head. 'Should I tell him?' she wondered. 'No' she thought. 'He probably won't believe me anyway.' She was startled when he came closer to her and lightly placed one of his hands on her shoulder. He used the other to gently maneuver her face towards his, lifting her chin a little so that she was peering up at him. "Please, tell me," he pleaded. "I have to know how you found out," he continued, looking into her sky-blue eyes with his deep, dark, intense mahogany depths. Whatever she'd expected him to do, she'd never thought that he would do that. She wasn't prepared for him coming that close to her, speaking to her in that quiet, vulnerable voice, invading her senses like he did. "Jamie, I," she began, prepared to tell him everything. Bright light invaded the darkness suddenly, destroying the moment and making Jamie and Val both blink at the sudden light and turn towards the now-open door and the petite figure that stood there. "What the hell is going on here?" screeched the form. 'Oh shit' thought Jamie. 'Damn' thought Val. "Caitie," said the dark rebel and the sunny cheerleader. 

Caitie felt sick. She'd just caught her two best friends, one of which she had a major crush on, in a janitor's closet, making out. Or worse. "You know, I don't even want to hear it," she said. "I can't believe you two," she yelled. She spun around and stomped off, leaving Val and Jamie still in the closet, though now everybody in the entire hall was watching them. 'Great' thought Val. 'The whole school will be talking about how Jamie and I were doing God-knows-what in that closet by lunchtime.' She grimaced. 'And now we have a lot of explaining to do, to both Caitie and Tyler.' Suddenly Val felt very, very tired. She turned to Jamie and said quietly, in a voice only loud enough for him to hear, "We'll talk about this later, at the EMS station. We have a lot to get cleared up." And with that the bell rang, and she slipped out of the closet, more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life as she passed groups of gossiping schoolmates. 'I have a feeling I shouldn't have come to school today' thought Jamie, closing the door to the closet and hurrying to his next class. 

#Author's Note# Sorry this chapter is so short. I would have made it longer, but that would have taken more time, and I know that you all want instant gratification (at least *I* do). Okay, I'll try to get the new chapter out as soon as I can. End transmission. 


	5. Val's Going Slightly Mad

#Author's Note# Hello there everybody

#Author's Note#Hello there everybody. If you actually read these things, you should be very proud of yourself because I'm taking up this cough valuable space to try to explain some things that might have confused readers in the past chapters. First of all: Caitie had a crush on Jamie, not Val. This isn't a slash story (not that I oppose or condemn those kinds of stories: it's just not my thing). Secondly, Val and Jamie were not kissing or anything like that while in the closet. I wouldn't have left out parts that important (or entertaining…jk). The school *thinks* that they were doing that, and Caitie assumes that that was what was going on, but the only things that occurred in there were the things I wrote. Okay, lastly, I apologize for having some of the characters act out of character. I'll try to explain (throughout the course of the story) the things that were running through their heads when they did whatever it was that they did. Wow, this is long. Luckily for you, I'm done. Read on. (P.S. : There are more twists to come!=o)

Disclaimer: I don't own the show, and I'm not making any money off of it. Don't sue.

'I can't believe her. I can't believe she did that to me' thought Caitie as she paced under the bleachers during lunchtime. Her arms were crossed and she wore a fearsome-looking scowl on her face, one even blacker than the clothing she wore. 'She knew that I liked Jamie…and then she went and made out with him?! I can't *believe* her! Who the hell does she think she is?! I hate her. I hate him too! How could he have *not* known I liked him? I did everything except drool, for God's sake!' Her musings were cut short, however, with the coming of the woman of the hour herself, Val. "What are *you* doing here?" growled Caitie. "I came to explain-" started Val, but she was interrupted by the upset Goth girl. "Explain? **Explain**? You're here to *explain* why you decided to steal the guy *I* like this morning? How the hell can you explain something like that?!" shrieked Caitie. "Caitie, that's not what happened at all!" said Val, upset. "Nothing physical happened between Jamie and I this morning in the janitor's closet. We were just…talking," said Val. Even though it was the truth, it sounded lame even to Val. "Oh, really? So you two just *happened* to pick out a small, dark little area to go and *talk* this morning, hmm? So what did you talk about, huh? The correct way to get as disheveled as you can when you're not really doing anything?! Huh?!" asked Caitie. 'Oh. So she noticed that, huh?' thought Val. "So what was it you two were so urgently *discussing*?" yelled Caitie sarcastically. "We were talking about…" started Val. 'Oh great' she thought. 'I can't give away Jamie's secret, not now. We have to discuss what it is we are going to do about his…situation…first. I can't tell her now' she realized. The silence lengthened. With each passing moment it grew thicker, heavier, more tension-filled. "That's what I thought," said Caitie quietly, right before she turned heel and left. 'Wonderful,' thought Val sarcastically. 

******************Meanwhile*******************

Jamie felt horrible. And not only in the physical sense. Today he'd accidentally destroyed the lily-white reputation of the greatest person he knew. And it was all because of her stupid need to constantly help people. "Way to go, Waite," praised some jock Jamie didn't recognize. Jamie rolled his eyes. His fellow male schoolmates had been clapping him on the back (he winced in recollection), giving him high-fives, and telling him comments like that all day. While Val had gone down in her classmates' opinions, it seemed that he'd moved up on the popularity ladder. 'Damn' he thought. Val wasn't the only one who'd lost her reputation. 

**********************A Few Hours Later, After School********************

Val slowly walked into the EMS station, her head hanging low. Today was just not her day. 'I can't believe I acted that way this morning…what was I thinking, getting so close to him…dragging him into a *closet* for Pete's sake. What did I *think* people were going to assume?' Val sighed. 'That's right, I *wasn't* thinking. If I were, I would have acted calmly and rationally and dealt with Jamie and his…situation…in a mature fashion.' Val hugged her binder closer to her, as if doing so would gain her a reprieve from her mental lecture to herself. 'Yeah, like anything involving Jamie Waite could ever be calm or rational' she mentally scoffed. 'At least I'm the first one here' she thought, looking around at the empty room as she placed her things into her locker. "Hey Val," said a familiar voice behind her. 'Uh-oh.' she thought, turning around. 'My day just keeps getting better and better' was her sarcastic silent comment to herself. "Uh…hi Tyler," she said. He smiled at her. Her heart sank. 'Oh no! He hasn't heard!' she thought. Val contemplated what to do about her predicament while he walked over to the coffee machine and started pouring himself a cup. "Want some?" he asked, pointing to the black liquid in the pot. "No thanks," said Val. Her stomach felt like it was being twisted in a million different directions at once as she said, "Uh…Tyler, we have to talk about something…" 

#Author's Note# Yes, I know this chapter is really, really short, but writing this story has depleted me of all brainpower for the moment (or should I just come out and say it…I'm feeling cruel today cackles hehehehehehe!). So what happens next? tauntingly Wouldn't you like to know? Come back later and see. Oh, and sorry if it kind of sounds like Val is going slightly mad…hey, that's a good title, I think I'll use it (wait, I think I saw that somewhere. Oh well, if you read this story and find that I've totally ripped off that phrase, then just tell me…as in, *not* a flame (even though all the reviews for this story have been wonderfully nice))…anyway, she's not. She's just stressed out and has a lot on her mind, and I, for one, find the repetitive use of "she thought…she thought" very irritating (thus the reason why it sounds like there are several people in Val's head…I couldn't find any other way to convey her thoughts without it sounding that way). Hope you enjoyed! Chow! 


	6. Revelations

#Author's Note# I'm so, so SORRY that I've taken forever to get this part posted

#Author's Note# I'm so, so SORRY that I've taken forever to get this part posted. Community service (why did I feel the need to try and prove to collages that I'm a 'well-rounded person'? I'm not! Hehehe! (On that note) Go class of 2003!!! #Looks around at all the stunned faces#What?) combined with a small case of writer's block (don't panic, it's all gone now) have caused this fic to be posted belatedly. Oh, and the trip I took for vacation with my mom also delayed it. Thanks for all your great reviews, everyone. And, yes, now that I think about it, Jamie's eyes aren't *really* mahogany, but it just sounded better. We'll settle for really, really dark mahogany, okay? Okay. Now, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own IaHB, and I'm not making any money off of it. Don't sue.

"Don't," said Tyler. "Don't what?" asked Val, surprised at his interruption. "Don't try to apologize or explain anything to me about the rumors," he said. "Oh…so you *have* heard?" asked Val. "Yes," he acknowledged. "And you're not upset?" she continued, incredulous. "Not at all," he said, smiling. Val stared at him in disbelief. This was not at all what she'd expected. "I'm just really glad that we've gotten everything out in the open now," he continued. "Everyone thinks that we like each other, and, for a while there, I think we might have. But things have changed…what happened this morning with you and Jamie just helps to prove that," he said. "And…to tell you the truth…I've been attracted to this one girl for a while now. I just didn't want to hurt you by letting you know," he confessed. 'Though the fact that she liked someone else was not at all encouraging' he thought silently. 'But this morning's little episode has solved all of that' Tyler smiled smugly at his thoughts as he exited the room, going to change for his shift. 

Val was left standing alone in the EMS room, her mouth hanging open in disbelief, giving her an overall stupid and dumbfounded expression. She knew that she should feel hurt, betrayed, and angry. The boy she'd liked since, like, forever, had just told her he was happy that they weren't going to be together, had practically thanked her for letting him pursue another girl. She knew how she *should* feel, but the weird thing was, she didn't feel that way at all. She felt relieved. And with this new revelation, there also came confusion. And then came Jamie. 

"Um, hi," he said, walking into the room and trying to avoid eye contact. Val managed to get her jaw back up and in working order. "Hello," she said. Jamie quickly glanced at her as he put his things away. She sounded very different from the perky, joyous Val that usually greeted him. 'But then again, anyone who *didn't* sound different from their usual selves after going through a day like Val's is probably just not normal' he thought. 

******************A few minutes earlier*******************

Jamie walked down the cracked concrete sidewalk feeling very depressed. He was on his way to his shift at the station, and he was not pleased at all about his upcoming encounter with Val. After having the entire day to contemplate his woeful dilemma, he'd reached a conclusion. Two, to be exact. First of all, he decided that he'd finally have to let the world know about the abuse he suffered at his father's hands. He didn't know if he'd be able to bear the disbelief, outrage, and, worst of all, *pity* that would surely follow his confession of vulnerability, but he knew that he'd have to. He was prepared to try. Secondly, he'd decided that if he was going down, his father damn well was too. He wasn't stupid; his father was a very influential, powerful, *rich* man, and the public would believe what he told them to. For all he knew, he could end up in the nut house popping Prozac pills after his revelation, and his father would get sympathy for having such a "poor, delusional boy." But Jamie wasn't going to let that happen. He would get proof of his father's misdeeds. He'd do what he'd have to, but, one way or the other, Simon Waite was going to be dragged down into the mud. 

***************Back to the present********************

Val watched as Jamie put away his things and took out his uniform. 'It's now or never' she thought, taking a deep breath. "Jamie, what are we going to do about your…situation?" she asked bluntly. "*We* aren't going to do anything, Val," he replied, turning around to face her. "What do you mean 'We aren't going to do anything'?!" she screeched. "Do you honestly think that I'll keep quiet about this?" she continued, shocked. "You know me better than that. I won't just sit idly by and watch as you get the crap beat out of you by your—mmmhhhh!" she exclaimed, her lecture cut short by Jamie's hand covering her mouth. "Val, do you want the whole station to hear?" hissed Jamie, removing his hand. Val was about to reply, but was cut off when Jamie abruptly continued. "Please, I'm only asking you for a week, maybe two, to get this all worked out," he said. Seeing the rebellious look coming across Val's face, he hastily continued. "I know there's no way to avoid exposing my abuse anymore, now that you know what's going on, but you have to understand something very important, Val. My father is Simon Waite." Val gasped in surprise. "If we try to tell the public what's been going on without good, solid evidence, he could turn the situation around into his favor. I have a plan that's going to help me run his name through the mud, and get me away from him permanently. But for it to work, I need your cooperation. And that means that you have to keep silent. Will you do that? Please?" Val looked at Jamie in surprised stupor. She was still processing everything he had just told her. "Alright," she said. "Great," said Jamie. "Now, about our other problems…"

Author's Note: All right, there it is. The sixth chapter, finally posted. It's a little short, but I'm not so cruel as to make you guys wait any longer then necessary (#ignores the snort of disbelief from the audience#). 


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